Imagine a cold, dark, static online landscape, let’s call it ‘dial-up’. Where pages load in minutes and internet connection is volatile. You log-on for the bare minimum - to access a snippet of information or send a brief email. The outlook is bleak, and the user experience is poor and unrewarding, with flashy banners and irrelevant pop-ups. Dark times indeed.

But look at us now, with broadband penetration currently at 90% of the total online population (BMRB Internet Monitor, February 2008), it’s no longer whether a consumer is on broadband it’s about how fast their connection is. This has created a whole new playground for advertisers and agencies to create truly engaging executions that complement their audiences’ online activity, rather than harm or hinder it. And, thank heavens, the infamous pop-up is all but dead.

From 2006 to 2007, total internet display advertising spend saw a 31% year-on-year increase, growing to £592m. Furthermore, spend on embedded formats (banners, rich media videos etc) has doubled during the past two years to account for 79% of total display. So, quite clearly, marketers know that it works. Some years ago the IAB set about extolling the virtues of rich media advertising to the industry, but unfortunately there just wasn’t enough great work to go around. Today it’s a very different story, and we have a wealth of powerful rich media examples at our fingertips.

As always, we’ve turned to the experts in digital creative and advertising technology to provide you with a thorough guide to display advertising, and how you can employ it effectively to build your brand online. With an overview of the formats and standards currently in place, insights into the role of online display, strategy and planning, measurement and integration, as well as some exceptional case studies, this handbook should provide all you need to know in this exciting area. If you think we’ve missed anything, just contact us at info@iabuk.net.

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To request a published version of this document for yourselves or your clients, please email Amy at the IAB.